Under a Cloudy Sky
by gideondorf
Summary: Bilbo Baggins did not live a fairy tale life, but her wife (who might as well have been back from the dead) thought otherwise. fem!Bilbo/fem!Thorin fem!Thorin & fem!Frodo bonding
1. Chapter 1

Frodo Baggins was a lot like Bilbo when she was younger. She was a smart girl, young as she was, and she had an adventurous streak to her. And just like Bilbo, she was certainly mischievous, though still a good child by heart. Like all good children, she was kind to whomever she came along by. To her, dwarves were not big, scary people. No, they were the kind of people that you invited over to dinner, especially when they already knew your aunt Bilbo.

Which was ridiculous, because Bilbo hadn't met a single dwarf in years. They'd stopped coming through the Hobbiton, only going to the edge of the Shire to trade. Some could be seen in Bree, but over the years Bilbo went less and less. The price had been more than just Hobbiton never having a decent smith, but no one discussed that. There were more important things to worry about as the years passed.

And despite what they said, Bilbo Baggins did not know these dwarves. Frodo seemed to think that she did, but never once had Bilbo met them. They were young, and most of the dwarves, save one, had all been rather old looking. In fact, she would almost consider them still to be children.

Still, she let them in, if only not to break Frodo's heart. She seemed so excited to see these three dwarves, even if they were slightly older than her.

"Don't wipe your dirty boots on my mother's glory box!" she said to the dark haired one.

They turned red and quickly apologized. "Sorry, Mrs. Boggins."

"It's Baggins," she said. She didn't even bother to clarify the Mrs. part and decided they could believe as they wished.

"Can I show them my room, Mommy?" Frodo asked.

"Yes," Bilbo said.

"I have lots of things to show you!" She hopped from one hairy foot to the other. "Ori, I have lots of books!"

The youngest dwarf of them all beamed.

Together, they walked towards Frodo's room, muddy boots off, along with their socks. This surprised Bilbo. All the dwarves, save one, that she had ever invited over to Bag End had never removed their boots when they came inside. They'd had the decency to wipe their boots off on the welcoming mat, yes, but never had they actually removed their boots.

Bilbo's stomach tightened, but she went back to the kitchen. There was still dinner to be made.

Rather than thinking of the past, she thought of what was currently going on. Why were three dwarves at her home? Why did they know of her? Did word about her really spread that fast around Ered Lindon? Did word ever get to her?

Bilbo shook her head. Really, she was going to worry herself to death one day.

Her mind wandered to the dwarves' genders. After she met her, she had learned that dwarven women too had beards. Bilbo was not rude, so she decided she wouldn't bring up the subject. Some part of her feared that Frodo wouldn't do the same.

Well, only time would tell.

She went back to one of her storage rooms, the one she used the least, and grabbed the blue book. Despite not being in the room for years, she knew exactly where it was. It was covered in dust, but luckily neither water nor bug had gotten to it. When she opened the book, it was like something changed. Suddenly she wasn't raising her cousin and pretending to be her mother. She wasn't living all alone in a far too large hobbit hole.

No, she was back to the way it was all those years ago.

* * *

Bilbo Baggins was an odd girl. Some blamed her mother, and others simply blamed the fact that she was always off in the woods, near the edge of the Shire. A few even made whispers that she really had discovered elves. Either way, she wasn't like most of the other hobbit lasses. She didn't even do it on purpose like some of the older hobbits believed; that was just how she worked.

Bungo was used to it and Belladonna didn't mind in the slightest. Her cousins, especially the Took ones, were used to it, and some would even accompany her on her adventures, small as they were.

Really, it was no surprise to anyone that Bilbo was the first to meet the new smith in the Shire. The truth was, however, that Bilbo hadn't planned on that. Her mother had just had some things that needed to be fixed, so Bilbo had taken them. And, when her mother wasn't looking, she took Bungo's favorite pans as well. It would be good to actually use them.

The smith, a dwarf woman, had set up in an abandoned store. Like almost all hobbit buildings, it was in a hole in the ground. Later on she would come to joke about it, saying both races loved to live underground, though some a bit deeper than others. It was rare to get a decent smith in the Shire. It just wasn't a popular line of trade. If anyone really needed something to be fixed then they took it to Bree. If not, a new one could just as easily be bought.

A few whispers were made of the dwarf woman's gender, but it was ultimately chalked up that she was a dwarf, and dwarves just weren't like hobbits.

Bilbo had knocked, barely able to keep the pans in her hands from falling to the ground. The fact that she also had a basket on her arms wasn't helping.

A woman had answered. She'd had a gruff exterior, but no beard to speak of. Later on she'd said she had shaved it to fit in better at the Shire. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore simple clothes.

"Thank you," Bilbo said.

The woman nodded.

The room had been small. There was another door. It had currently been shut, but she could sense a heat coming from it. There was a large table set out, but it had currently been empty.

Once Bilbo had set everything down, she stared at it.

"You're my first customer," the woman said. "I have only recently opened." Bilbo didn't mention that she obviously knew this.

The woman looked away from her. Bilbo couldn't help but notice her muscular build. Something fluttered in her chest, though she didn't know why. By Shire standards, she was quite ugly. Being muscular, tall (by hobbit standards), straight haired, and lean (again by hobbit standards) was far from desirable by hobbit standards. And she wore boots of all things! But really, Bilbo didn't care right then.

The woman gave her a quick look, and Bilbo quickly snapped back to normal.

"So you need these repaired?"

"Yes!" Bilbo looked out the window. Of course she had to be late! "But you can't do it now."

"Why?"

"Well just look outside!" She pulled the basket off of her shoulder and placed it on the ground. "We're both late for elevensies. I should've known that this would happen. There's no use trying to run back now. Mother will just have to do without me."

"Really," the woman said, "I need to get to work."

"Ridiculous!" Bilbo said. "You'll just let these biscuits get cold? I baked them right before I came here." She picked the basket up and handed one to her. "Go on, try one."

The woman gave her a strange look. Really, what was so wrong with offering to share elevensies? She took the biscuit from her hand and brought it to her lips. For a moment she just held it there, and Bilbo feared that she wouldn't bother to eat it all. But she took a bite, a rather large one at that. Bilbo couldn't help but smile when she finished off the entire thing and weakly asked if she could have more.

"Of course," she said. She handed her a few more. As she ate, Bilbo spoke. "I haven't properly introduced myself, and I must apologize for that. My name is Bilbo Baggins."

"Thorin," the woman replied. She gave no last name.

"It's nice to meet you," Bilbo said. "So, what do you think?"

She frowned. "They're good."

"Would you like another?"

Thorin gave her a weary look. "Really..."

"Oh hush," she said. "Someone is going to have to eat these besides me." She handed her a few more, and then bit into one herself. "Are they really good?" She had made far better before. There was far too little jelly inside of these, and the exterior wasn't as well baked as Bilbo thought they would be.

"Of course," she said. Bilbo didn't question her again. For what seemed like the longest time they stood eating until they had finished off every single one of Bilbo's jelly biscuits.

When it finished, Thorin said a quick word of thanks. She wrung her hands on her apron. "Do you need these to be done quickly? If not, it should take about a day to get them finished."

"No, that will be perfectly fine," Bilbo replied. For a moment they stood in silence, unsure of what to say. The basket's handle was firmly in Bilbo's hand, much lighter now that it was empty.

Thorin nodded. "You can pay me tomorrow."

* * *

Two hours later, Bilbo was back. She had a late lunch and extra coins with her. It took Thorin a few minutes to get to the door, and when she came Bilbo could see why. No longer did she feel attracted to Thorin. Dirt and sweat didn't exactly compliment her features.

Before Thorin could say anything, Bilbo spoke. "I understand that they aren't ready yet!"

Thorin let her inside wordlessly. "Do you have more to bring?"

"If you mean food, then yes. I realized that I must have made you late for lunch." Her eyes wandered to the collection of items that she'd brought in earlier. Nothing new had been added/ Luckily, none of her father's pots had been touched yet. She took a sandwich from her basket and handed it to Thorin. "I hope you don't mind me coming to tell you something at such a sudden time. You look busy. But those pots over there, in that pile? They're family heirlooms, quite precious. If you could please be very careful with them then I will pay you extra." To prove her point, she pulled the small sack of coins from her pocket and threw it to her. "I'll pay the rest tomorrow like you said."

Thorin nodded. "Alright." She looked down at her sandwich, looking unsure of if to eat it or not. "Is there anything else that you need?" She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"Is it good?" She had certainly made it quickly. When she'd realized that she had forgotten to give Thorin such important information, she'd rushed over with barely enough time to make a proper meal.

"Yes," Thorin said. With another bite, she finished the entire thing. She could easily beat a hobbit at wolfing down meals. "I need to get back to work."

Bilbo quickly removed the rest of her lunch from the inside of the basket and placed it on the table. "But you need to finish this."

The woman looked strangely at her. "I am quite full from earlier." She sighed. "I will eat the rest later. Thank you. I just wish I knew why you were doing this."

"Because you're doing this for me," she said. "Especially since you agreed to be careful with the pans. They are very precious." She smiled. "And it would be wrong to deprive you of lunch. It is quite kind of you to do this for me. Please enjoy it. I only hope that you'll take a break at tea."

* * *

It took Thorin longer to fix the pots due to Bilbo's request, but when she got them back she received even more coins and both elevensies and lunch. She seemed taken aback by Bilbo, but Bilbo hardly noticed. The pots looked good as new, and finally some work could be put into them.

"You don't mind if I take trips taking these back home? I don't want to risk dropping them."

"No, go on." Thorin looked away from her. "I have other business to do here..."

Thorin still appeared to not have any other customers.

"Would you like help me out then? We can come eat at my home if you'd like. Then things could get done faster. Or you could eat now."

"I'll eat," Thorin said.

Bilbo gave Thorin her basket.

Bilbo noticed that a few old looking chairs had been set out, so she sat down. "Your work is wonderful. I'd heard of the skill of dwarven smiths before, but never had I actually seen it."

"Thank you," Thorin said. She took some of the vegetables out of the basket and bit into them.

"I gardened them myself," Bilbo said.

"They're good," Thorin said weakly.

"Is something wrong?"

"No!" She clutched her food tightly. "I'm just not used to eating green things. But they are good..."

"If you'd like, you can eat more over at my house."

"No, I'm sure all of this will be fine."

"I won't mind."

Thorin said nothing, just kept eating. Bilbo feared that she had offended her in some way.

However, soon enough she was questioning Bilbo on the food. It wasn't that she didn't like it, it was that she didn't know what it was. Bilbo was more than happy to help explain it to her, and she spoke with enthusiasm. It was a nice conversation. She seemed even more curious about food than some hobbits were, and that said a lot.

Once they finished, they took everything home. Thankfully, Belladonna was gone and didn't see Bilbo return her father's pots back to where they belonged. It was only by luck that she hadn't noticed them yesterday.

Or, Bilbo thought, she didn't point it out.

Her stomach twisted.

When everything was back where it belonged, Bilbo offered Thorin some cake. For a moment she hesitated, and Bilbo reassured her that it would be just fine. For years she would promise to Yavanna that she had no idea how the two ended up eating the entire thing and nearly polishing off all of her mother's cookies as well.

* * *

Memories rushed through Bilbo. She was back in her kitchen, making Thorin dinner after her long day at work. She was dirty, but was currently taking a bath at Bilbo's request. At first she had been surprised that Bilbo didn't like her dirty, but consented to her wishes and began to regularly bathe herself.

And then Frodo yelled something and everything came back to Bilbo. She was in her kitchen, looking at the blue book, and Frodo was off in her room playing with dwarves. Frodo seemed happy, and for a moment she smiled. Then, she frowned.

She continued making the dwarven meal, glad that she had stocked up on ingredients at the market the day before. It had always surprised her that dwarf food could be made with the same things as hobbit meals. To her, no matter how many times she made them, they were a strange dish.

As she kept working, more and more memories came back to her. Some of them she'd completely forgotten about, but they were suddenly back and with a vengeance. For a moment all she could do was cry.

But, like any proper Baggins, she put herself back together and continued cooking. She had guests that needed to be fed.

By the time she'd put it in the oven, there was another knock on the door.

* * *

Belladonna Took came home to find her daughter and the new dwarven smith that she'd heard word in the market of inside of her kitchen. Bilbo stared at her with wide eyes and wondered what to say to her.

"I just made that cake earlier," she said. "I wanted a slice." But she smiled. It was strange on her face. Though she had started to do it more and more often, she was still unused to it. For years, Bilbo had watched her mother's smile fade away. But there it was, and strange or not, she loved it. That smile was just like her mother: Odd, but wonderful. "Now tell me," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "Who is that?"

"Thorin," Thorin said. "I am the new smith. I apologize, mistress Baggins."

Bilbo had to suppress a laugh. No one called her mother that.

Belladonna smirked. "Oh, there's nothing to be sorry for. I'm sure that Bilbo can make me another."

And Bilbo did, and she didn't mind in the slightest.

* * *

Bilbo's wife was back from the dead with a beard to show for it.

That, and eight other dwarves came with her.

Before she could say anything, two warm arms wrapped around her waist, "I've missed you so much! Finally, I've proven my worth of you!" When she finished the hug, Bilbo could only stand speechless, mind heavy with shock, as she had one of the dwarves carry over a large chest. She opened it, and inside was more gold than she thought was in the entire Shire.

* * *

When she next woke up, Frodo was lying in Thorin's lap asleep. Her mind faintly recalled what happened. She was in her bedroom, with her somehow still alive wife and a chest of gold in one corner. Thorin sat on a chair, boots off of her feet. The fur coat that Thorin had been wearing earlier was covering Frodo. She wasn't very hesitant with strangers, and seemed perfectly fine with Thorin.

"You're awake," Thorin said softly.

"What happened?" Her voice was weak.

"I showed you some of your gold and you passed out." She looked down at Frodo, and a small smile spread across her face. "We brought you inside, and I met our little one. I do apologize for the struggle you had with her."

Bilbo didn't know exactly what she meant. In fact, she didn't know what any of this meant. "You're back." Saying that she thought she was dead would probably make her sound loony.

Thorin smiled. "I'm sorry, but I had other matters to attend to. But that doesn't matter now. We have to get back to Erebor."

"Erebor?" She'd heard stories of it when she was a child from her mother. It had been one of the most prosperous of all dwarf cities. Thorin had even spoken some of it before, though she mentioned little and didn't appreciate Bilbo asking questions.

"Yes, Erebor," she said. "You are the new queen of it."

Surprisingly, Bilbo didn't pass out again.

* * *

**From what I can tell, this is going to be a long fic. I promise that it will have a happy ending.**

**Reviews are appreciated. This is the first time that I've planned on making such a long fic.**


	2. Chapter 2

Really, Bilbo didn't feel like having a serious night. All she wanted was to eat dinner, read a story to Frodo, tuck her in, and then go to bed herself. However, it seemed her not dead wife thought that wasn't acceptable. If she wanted a serious discussion then why couldn't she at least leave it for the morning? She was getting tired and her feet ached. Frodo being up and stuffing cookies into her mouth wasn't helping out either. It would be hours before Bilbo would be able to coax her to go to sleep.

Listening to dwarves promise their lifelong service to her was quite tiring. Really, did they need to keep bowing to her? They also gave Frodo far too much attention. The child would be up all night at the rate things were going. As soon as Bilbo had gotten up and out of bed, Frodo's eyes had opened as well.

But during the night she learned things, the things that Thorin hadn't wanted to share. And now she could truly see why her wife was so private.

Her stomach churned. As moving as her story was, she couldn't deny that this certainly changed things between them.

And was this really worth leaving the Shire for?

* * *

At first, a few hobbits were nervous about whether or not to go and see Thorin. It was Bilbo and a few other Tooks' recommendations that got a few other hobbits to go. Slowly, the entire Shire went, and Thorin was booming with business.

Bilbo did not go every day, but her mother had collected quite a few metal items over the years and needed someone to take them over for her. As much as she tried to deny it, she was getting old, and Bilbo was still young at twenty-eight, only five years away from her birthday and becoming an adult.

Thorin was quite surprised when Bilbo one day brought a sword.

"Don't worry," Bilbo said. "I won't use it on you." That was quite a Tookish thing to say, but she didn't mind.

Thorin had smirked. "I hope not," she said. From what little Bilbo had observed of Thorin working with other hobbits, she was the only one who spoken to like this by Thorin.

"Please be careful," she said. "It belongs to my mother."

"I would have figured," Thorin said. She had been over to eat with Bilbo and Belladonna quite a few times, and her added weight showed for it. No longer was she so skinny. During the time over, she'd heard the stories of Belladonna's many adventures. Thorin held it up to inspect it in the light. "Do you know how to use this?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you knew how to use this. If you don't then I'd be happy to teach you."

Bilbo nodded. "Of course I know." She frowned.

Thorin didn't reply. "I promise to be careful with it."

Bilbo pulled her coin purse out of her pocket and gave Thorin her extra coins. Like always, Thorin took the money carefully. Everything about the Shire was strange to her, from its constant food to its money, but she always took it. Sometimes she would get nervous and not eat, but Bilbo would assure her that there was more than enough food to go around. Though Thorin rarely spoke of her life before coming to the Shire, she didn't even have to say that she had been poor; it was just a known fact.

"Thank you," Bilbo said.

"I have not finished it yet. Your thanks can wait." Bilbo turned to leave, but just as she opened the door Thorin spoke again. "Would you like to sword fight with me tomorrow? I'd like to see you fight."

Bilbo was shocked. She turned around and glared at Thorin. "You think that I can't fight?"

"No, of course you can fight! I was just wondering if you'd like to have a friendly match with me." Thorin frowned. "I am so sorry."

"You're fine," Bilbo said, and quickly turned around once more. That definitely wasn't something that Thorin wouldn't say to any other hobbit.

* * *

Frodo was busy exploring every dwarfs' beard. She seemed fascinated by them, but most of all Thorin's. Considering the special attention she'd been given by her, Bilbo couldn't blame her. A few dwarves grumbled that they had better beards, but Thorin shot them a glare.

But she had more important issues to deal with. In front of her was a golden necklace with a heavy diamond set at the bottom next to a set of matching sapphire bracelets and a diamond ring. Next to it was a contract, and a long one at that. The writing was so small that she could barely read it.

Her mind was swimming, and thoughts were rushing through her. No part of her mind was clear. How was this the same Thorin from before? Was this all just a part of her likely delusional mind? Had the Took madness finally gotten to her? Thorin wouldn't have been able to afford anything near this, not unless she saved up and bought nothing else. She wouldn't grow a beard in the Shire or risked being ostracized. And she would never be royalty!

It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that she started to cry. Even years later she knew exactly whose hand that was. That hand had roamed her body throughout what otherwise would have been cold and lonely nights.

* * *

Bilbo took Thorin by surprise. She narrowly avoided getting cut directly on the face by Bilbo's sword, one that she had come to nickname Sting. It did cause her to lose her balance and trip.

"So you really thought that I couldn't fight!"

"I never said that!" Thorin pulled herself up off the ground, with (more than) a little help from Bilbo. "I just didn't expect you to beat me the first time. You're quite good, even better than some dwarves." She smiled.

"Really?"

"Really."

Bilbo's stomach tightened. She looked away from Thorin, her new sword still gripped in her hand. "Why did you give this to me?"

"Because you have been so kind to me. I must return the favor."

"Thorin, you don't have to."

Thorin shot her a confused look.

"Really, you didn't need to repay me." She smiled. "But I do love it."

Thorin picked up her sword from the ground. "Good. It's of dwarvish make, so you'll never find a better one. This one will last." Her smile turned into a smirk. "Now would you like to fight again?"

Bilbo gripped her sword tighter. "Of course."

"You might not beat me again this time. I've seen how you work."

"Oh, really?"

Thorin did win, however. Bilbo won three rounds after that, and was ultimately declared the victor. Along the way they earned a small crowd, which included a few offended hobbits, some curious children, and a few cheering spectators. A few little girls even ran up afterwards and asked them both to teach them how to fight with swords. Their parents quickly pulled them away, but soon it wasn't uncommon to see children fighting with sticks or their mother's knives.

* * *

When Bilbo next woke up, she was nice and warm. She pressed closer into her blankets before her mind registered that blankets didn't feel like this. Blankets also did not wrap you into an iron grip. For a moment all she could do was ask herself if she was still asleep. These snores, so loud and so familiar, but so unreal. Could Thorin truly be back?

She noticed how close she was to Thorin, dream or not. Her head was against her neck, and some of her hair had spilled out over hers. She wanted to shake it away, but feared waking up Thorin (or shaking away her dream).

As she lay in (comfortable) almost silence (those snores were pretty loud), her mind returned to her. The night before was a big and confusing mess, but she could at least remember what happened. Frodo arrived home with some younger dwarves, and soon after came Thorin and eight other dwarves along with a chest full of gold. Frodo ate too much sugar, dwarves made too many heavy promises, she suddenly had far too much money, and Thorin expected her to just pack up and move to Erebor to become its queen. Oh, and she wasn't dead. And all of that along with her being tired had caused her to breakdown.

Really, it was embarrassing when she thought about it hours afterwards.

Sunlight drifted in from one of her windows, though she couldn't tell if it was morning or afternoon.

Her eyes wandered over the room. Since Thorin had (not) died, she had arranged everything to look different. The idea of having a knickknack in the same spot as before had bothered her, and before she had known it she had rearranged her entire home. It suddenly felt strange, foreign, and wrong, but a part of her (likely a Baggins side) knew that it was ridiculous to expect that her house wouldn't have changed. Many springs had passed, and with that came cleaning and rearranging. Frodo moving in and having to buy items for her had certainly changed things as well. If she looked hard enough she could find toys in every room in Bag End.

Thorin suddenly pulled her in tighter, and her face came closer to her neck. To say it reminded her of a few other incidents before was an understatement. A warm, happy feeling filled her chest.

It would hurt if this all a dream or a hallucination caused by the Took madness.

But Frodo played with the dwarves, Bilbo thought. Her mind was still slightly blurry, but that she knew perfectly well. If Frodo saw the dwarves then surely Thorin was real, especially with all the special attention that Thorin gave to her.

"Thorin," she whispered.

Thorin grunted.

"Thorin," Bilbo repeated, looking up at her.

Her blue eyes suddenly shot open. She looked down at Bilbo. "What?"

"I just wanted to say good morning." The rest of the night before came back to her. Her tears had caused the dwarves to all stop, dead silent. Even Frodo had stopped. Thorin had quickly led her away. She had expected her to try to convince her to sign the contract, but instead Thorin had brought her to bed. She'd let Bilbo change privately and had gone back to her company of dwarves. Some time during the night she must had come in.

Thorin reached down and gently let their lips touch. It was a quick, nervous kiss, but it was nice. For years Bilbo had wished for that kind of affection.

Thorin's beard tickled.

* * *

It wasn't until she had eaten a large breakfast, followed by an even larger second breakfast after that, that she finally got around to reading the contract. Frodo had eaten as well, and had gone outside to play with the younger dwarves. She should have kept them on their toes, and luckily they seemed to have as much energy as she did.

The dwarves had taken to trying to throw her plates, but with one yell from her they all stopped. At least having power in one way was good.

With another cup of hot tea beside her, she looked over the contract. Now that she'd gotten some food and sleep in her it was easier to read the tiny writing.

It was very boring, to say the least. She must have read seven paragraphs alone declaring her married to Thorin. As if she wouldn't know that!

Then she read that Frodo was inheriting the throne. She just about spilled her tea. Actually, it read "any child of this marriage", but someone had quickly added in messy ink "Frodo".

"You expect me to let you make Frodo rule when you die?"

Thorin sat next to her at the table eating some food of her own. She placed her fork down. "Well, yes. She is ours."

"If you think you impregnated me then you're ridiculous! I adopted her when my cousins died when she was a baby."

"A few of us figured," Balin said. They turned to Thorin. "Go on, tell her."

Thorin grabbed Bilbo's hand. "Adopted or not, I left you all alone to raise her. I may have been saving my kingdom, but surely it was a great tragedy after what happened. I will legally give Frodo all the rights of any Durin."

Again, she questioned if she was delusional, but that desperate look in Thorin's eyes stopped her.

"I am so sorry. If I had known... It was so selfish to leave you with no support whatsoever." She looked at Bilbo, and then at the chest of gold in the corner. "But we need to leave. I swear that I am finally worthy of you and can finally repay you for everything that you've done for me. You'll be a queen, and Frodo won't ever lack anything. And you can have all the food you want! And gold, so much gold! I promised that I would prove myself and I have!" She frowned. "What more could I possibly need to do?"

* * *

Bilbo and Thorin kept sword fighting, and the longer they did so, the more Thorin got better. Still, Bilbo always had a surprise or two on her as well. Their days ended with both of them being a hot, sweaty, and dirty mess (though Thorin would always be dirtier).

It couldn't be described as just nice, or just something that she enjoyed. It was more than that. When she was with Thorin she could do a lot of things that most hobbits wouldn't do with her. Even some of her Took cousins, the ones who went on adventures, never actually got a sword. Thorin was also more than happy to do these things with her.

"You know," Thorin said, "dwarves are known for having competitions to see who is the best with a sword. Perhaps, if you were to enter one, you could win. It certainly earns quite a bit of money."

"Now why would I enter that?" Bilbo began to pick up her supplies. Her stomach rumbled; doing this with Thorin every day certainly made her miss at least one meal. "It's not like I'm a dwarf."

"I was just saying," Thorin said.

"Or do you need me to teach you so that you can enter one of those competitions?"

Rather than laughing, Thorin stiffened. "Do you think that I need to enter one?"

"Yes," Bilbo said confidently. "You're quite good."

Thorin nodded. "Of course. I see why you-"

"What?" Bilbo asked.

Thorin turned to her and smiled. "I will enter one."

Bilbo ended up missing another meal trying to stop her from packing up her bags and saying that she was joking. Thorin was confused, but ultimately listened to Bilbo. Things were sorted out, and after that everything went back to normal, though Bilbo was exhausted and even hungrier than ever. She ate all of the soup her mother made her that night, along with a good three loaves of bread.

Bilbo was careful about how she joked with Thorin after that.

* * *

Frodo seemed to be in love with Thorin's beard. Her hands never left it. Thorin only managed to tear her away to give her a quick kiss on the top of her head, messing up her curly hair. Bilbo couldn't help but smile at the scene. Raising her was hard, she had to admit. She'd only watched over children before, never had to raise one.

But someone had to step up and take care of her after her parents died, and Bilbo had been the most suitable for it. The Brandybuck clan had far too many of their own already. No other Baggins seemed interested in taking her. To say no would have been wrong.

Bilbo bit her lip. From what the dwarves said, there was an endless amount of gold in Erebor. Frodo would never have to worry about anything, and Thorin seemed ready to give her anything.

She remembered the day that she heard about the boat accident. There was a reason that hobbits were wary of water.

Bilbo took the contract and signed it without saying anything. She stood up, pushed in her chair, and went to prepare her will. After that, she had a lot of things to pack, but that wouldn't be much of a problem. She had dwarves who seemed more than strong enough to carry whatever she needed.

And, looking around, as precious as the items were, she didn't need that many of them.

* * *

**This will be updating every Friday. This includes this Friday, so expect an update in two days.**


	3. Chapter 3

Bilbo nearly forgot her handkerchief, nearly. It wasn't until the last minute, but she quickly got it. Her will was laid out and her bags packed. Frodo was jumping up and down to go on an adventure, and Thorin and her company swore to protect her and Bilbo with their lives.

She was as ready as she'd ever be.

She just wished the lump in her throat and the pain in her belly would go away.

* * *

Bilbo had made a feast. It was the beginning of the annual Green Festivals, and it was time to celebrate the harvest before winter came. Belladonna and Thorin were both licking their lips in wait. Bilbo had promised that it would be the best meal that she would ever make, which was why she hadn't allowed her mother to help in the slightest.

Thorin had come at Bilbo's request, admitting that she hadn't been invited to any other event. Bilbo had frowned, asking her why the lady she rented a room with didn't invite her.

"We're just business," she said. "I wouldn't want to intrude on her time with her family."

"Well you can always do that with mine," she said. "It'll start with just me and my mother, but my cousins will find a way inside somehow. Make sure to eat up while you can."

"May we eat now?" Belladonna asked. "You holding all this food out in front of us should be considered torture."

"No," she said. "My butter rolls are still in the oven. The meal won't be the same without them."

Thorin just continued staring at the food.

Her mother laughed. "You sound just like Bungo."

The room went silent.

Bilbo shoved a plate of green beans and a loaf of bread between the two and then went and got the rolls out of the oven.

Once the rolls were ready, she went back to the living room. The two had quickly finished off the green beans and the loaf of bread, and they'd dug into a few other dishes. With a sigh, she placed down the rolls and sat down herself.

"I can see you've all had a taste," Bilbo said. "So, what did you think?"

"Delicious," Belladonna said. She still had a bit of food at the side of her lip.

"Thorin?" Bilbo asked.

"Oh, she didn't take anything else."

Bilbo smiled. "Thank you, Thorin."

Thorin didn't reply.

"We may all eat now. The butter rolls are here."

Everyone began to fill their plate. Thorin was careful, Bilbo noticed, and mostly filled her plate when Belladonna and Bilbo had finished. She seemed nervous. In the end, she only half filled her plate.

"Don't you want more?" Bilbo asked. She chuckled. "You didn't fill yourself earlier, did you? I hope not. I just brought out the butter rolls."

Thorin quickly filled her plate without a word.

While they ate, Belladonna told another story of her adventure. This one was clearly exaggerated. Her mother had not saved a princess.

"This is wonderful," Belladonna said. "I'm so glad that I don't have to cook often. You're much better than me."

"Don't play yourself down, mother."

"I'm just admitting the truth! All three of us agree that you're better than me." She turned to Thorin. "You've eaten both of our food. So tell me, who is better?"

Thorin slowly chewed on her food, eyes turned down. When she finished, she took a long gulp. Bilbo's heart beat against her chest. She didn't know why she cared so much, but she wanted Thorin to say that she loved Bilbo's food best.

"This is wonderful," she said. "Bilbo, your food is delicious."

"Yes," Belladonna said, "but is it better than mine?"

Thorin was turning pink. "Bilbo's..."

"See!" Belladonna smirked. "We all know who should do the cooking around here, Bilbo."

Bilbo smiled. "Fine, I'm the best of the two of us."

"You might as well be the best in the Shire," Belladonna said. "It's not too late to enter the pie making contest." She grabbed a butter roll and broke it in half. "Your apple could easily get you the blue ribbon. What do you think, Thorin? I think Bilbo should enter."

Thorin looked like she was about to answer, but she never said anything.

"Oh right," Belladonna said. "You've never tasted one of Bilbo's apple pies. They're the greatest in the world."

"Fine," Bilbo said. "I'll enter the competition."

The conversations mostly drifted around food, which Thorin rarely joined into. Bilbo figured that Thorin was slightly put off by the friendly fights between her and her mother, and she couldn't blame her for not wanting to get into them.

Once they finished and needed to clean up, Thorin stayed behind and helped. Surprisingly, the three of them had eaten enough to keep Bilbo's cousins from coming over, and she was in a happy mood.

"Oh, you don't need to help," Bilbo said.

Thorin just continued to do so. Bilbo dropped it.

"Thank you for coming over," Bilbo said. "It was so nice. I'm so glad that you came." She realized that she was beginning to ramble. "You're always welcome over here, Thorin."

* * *

The day of the pie making contest was hot and dry. There had been heavy rains the week before, but now the air was warm and clear. A light dusting of sweat was on the back of Bilbo's neck, but she hardly noticed.

Thorin had been booming with business over the week, but had found time to come over. She was dressed in a simple white cotton shirt and dark brown breeches, and her dark hair was allowed to flow free.

She had a hand on Bilbo's back. She seemed anxious to see who was going to win. Bilbo had certainly gotten good attention from the judges, but there were rumors that Esmeralda Took's peach pie was the best the judges had ever tasted.

Bilbo clenched her fists together. Her mother had been so excited about her entering the contest, and she might end up losing!

Bell Goodchild's blueberry pie was also getting quite a bit of attention.

"Don't worry," Thorin suddenly said. "It doesn't matter whether you win or not to me."

Bilbo smiled. "You're right. I'm getting so worked up over this." She sighed. "We might as well go check out a few stalls."

The two left the pie tables and headed towards the vendor booths. They sold everything from gardening equipment to toys for the younger hobbits to scented candles. Bilbo looked around in awe, and even bought herself a few things.

Bilbo was a bit surprised when Thorin gave her a wrapped box. She took off the wrapping and discovered a small knife, shining in the light and quite sharp. What really surprised her was Thorin also giving her a large bouquet of flowers from a nearby vendor. It was filled with the largest, most well grown red roses that she had ever seen.

"Oh, thank you!" Bilbo said. She hugged Thorin. "They're some of the greatest presents that I've ever received."

"You're welcome," Thorin said. She kept her hand on Bilbo's back.

They continued to look at stalls, with Thorin carrying whatever Bilbo bought. She didn't seem to mind, and Bilbo was certainly thankful. There wasn't anything that seemed like the right thing to buy Thorin, so later she baked her an apple pie all for herself.

Bilbo brought home all the things she'd bought, including supplies for another pie, her gifts from Thorin, and a red ribbon for her pie. She no longer cared that it wasn't first place.

"So Thorin got you a knife and a flower bouquet?" Belladonna smiled. She had skipped most of the festivities to go check out a glass blower at work. She now had a beautiful new vase, and she'd picked up a new walking stick from a vendor. "Well, this is definitely going to be interesting. I'm just glad that I'm done waiting. I was wondering when you two were going to come this point. Now, a pie is good, but you need something else, something personal and with a bit of fire to it. That'll definitely impress Thorin. Why, keep it up and she'll be up your skirts in no time."

"Mother!"

"Well, it's true." She laughed, and looked for somewhere to put her vase. "Maybe you should find something worth cutting up with that sword of yours."

* * *

They had travelled all day, and Bilbo was tired. Luckily, they had made it past Bree in a day, but by now she was so tired of riding her pony. There was a reason that she was never any good with animals like other hobbits were.

Luckily, Frodo seemed just fine, even excited about the whole thing. She was constantly pointing out new things, and along the way had nicknamed her and Bilbo's pony "Myrtle". A few other ponies had gotten names, with Thorin's being "Minty".

They began to set up camp. Bilbo kept watch for any danger, and Frodo stayed beside her. She protested, saying that she wanted to go get firewood with Fili and Kili, but Bilbo kept her close. Ori was busy checking over supplies and invited Frodo over, so Bilbo let her at least go there. She could trust Ori, but Fili and Kili, as well meaning as they were, would likely screw up. She didn't even trust them with the ponies. Frodo would have her little heart broken if something happened to Myrtle.

Once camp was fully set, everyone began to relax. They were in a cave, protecting them from any possible rain. Frodo had one of her stuffed toys out, a cat, and was clutching it to her chest. She was wrapped in thick, dwarf style blankets, and thankfully it didn't seem that she would get cold. She sat in Thorin's lap, and it was only then that Bilbo noticed just exactly how small Frodo was. Compared to Thorin, she was just a small ball covered in large blankets. The Shire was fit to be hobbit size, but once they got out it was easy to see just how tiny they were.

It didn't help that Bilbo was barely larger than Ori.

Frodo was sleeping soundly. Either she was just as exhausted as Bilbo, or checking over supplies had been so boring that she actually had fallen asleep.

Thorin had an arm around Bilbo's waist, and she had a hand on an area that made Bilbo glad that there was a blanket covering them as well. Once she even leaned over and kissed the side of Bilbo's face.

It wasn't that it wasn't nice, and she'd always wanted Thorin and all her affections back, but it felt wrong. Only a day before her wife had suddenly shown up on her doorstep and claimed she had to leave her home.

A few dwarves told stories of the adventure, but Bilbo mostly tuned them out. She didn't want too much noise to wake up Frodo or else she'd have the dwarves up all night telling her stories.

Thorin's hand finally settled over her leg. She stopped there and didn't disturb Bilbo any longer. Instead, she began to prepare bedrolls, putting Frodo's between Fili and Kili's. Before Bilbo could protest, she said she wanted to put theirs' a little further away.

They settled a little deeper in the small cave, and Thorin placed their bedrolls close. She let Bilbo get in before she did so herself. In a short amount of time she was fast asleep.

When she next woke up, her mind was foggy. She'd been dreaming of something, but she couldn't remember what it was. Thorin had an arm around her, and was fast asleep. Bilbo wanted to roll over, but couldn't.

She couldn't get herself back to sleep. Thorin was beside her, and her snores were loud. It was a surprise that she wasn't keeping the whole camp up all night.

It brought back memories of things like this. For a moment she was happy, but then she wasn't. Even if she wasn't delusional, she had just run out the door without much of a second thought just because Thorin was back.

It was so hard to believe that she was alive, that after all those years she could just show up at her door with a chest of gold.

It almost made all those years of pain, of doing her best to follow both hobbit and dwarf mourning processes out of respect, worthless.

* * *

After breakfast, Frodo began to catch bugs. It wasn't surprising; she'd done it back in the Shire, and gotten quite a collection. Now she had more bugs to choose from, and showed them off to the entire company. Bilbo had to keep herself from laughing as Dwalin, one of the trained warriors of the group, got bothered by Frodo showing off a cricket that she'd caught.

After everything had been packed up, they got back onto their ponies. It was going to be another long day, but Bilbo thought that she could handle it a little more now that she was used to it. Her stomach was full, and there was only more land ahead of them. Balin had even promised that they would get to Erebor faster now that they knew the way.

"Thorin got us lost the last time," Fili said.

Though it was said as a joke, Bilbo's stomach twisted.

* * *

"Still having trouble finding your way around the Shire?" Bilbo asked.

Thorin sighed. "It's just so big."

Bilbo laughed. "You're only in Hobbiton."

"That's the thing," she said. "It's big as well."

"I'd be happy to show you around," she said. "I don't want you to get lost while you're looking for Bag End."

"I considered just putting a mark in the door."

"Please tell me you are joking; that was just painted last week!"

* * *

Bilbo's first courting gift to Thorin was the head of a beast. Specifically, a deer that she had found while roaming through the woods. It had broken its leg, and it would've been a waste to let fresh meat like that go. Some other creature would get it. She also baked Thorin some cookies. To say she was surprised was an understatement. Ultimately, she left the head out to rot. It caused more than a few hobbits a good scare, and Bilbo just about died laughing., Had they never seen a deer's head before?

Venison was delicious. There was more than enough to go around. It became a common meal between Thorin and the Baggins of Bag End, until her mother finally got sick of it and they had to finish off the rest. To say that finding such a large buck, unharmed and untouched by other creatures was amazing. It certainly must have been a sign from the Green Lady herself, especially since the festivities happened at the same time as her blessed harvest was celebrated.

Thorin took the courting with surprising stride. A few hobbits turned their noses up at it, but they quickly saw a blade from both of the women. Then no one bothered to say a negative word about it, and a few Tooks and Brandybucks were excited about it. Bilbo had more than a few young hobbitlings asking her when they were going to get married, even after they'd only started courting a few days before.

Belladonna was especially encouraging. In fact, she might as well have been the reason that it didn't even last long. She encouraged Bilbo to always push forward, even when at times she and Thorin had problems, or when Bilbo thought she was being too clingy or going too fast. More than half of the odd courting gift ideas came from her.

Thorin studied hobbit courting rituals, and Bilbo studied dwarf (which meant listening to Thorin for hours on end, though in the end it was worth it). They ended up combining both of them, making an even odder courtship than Bilbo's mother and father's had been.

It had been one of the greatest, and most stressful, times of Bilbo's life.

It wasn't until a few years later, once Bilbo and Thorin were properly married and living in Bag End, did she learn just why Belladonna pushed them together. Her mother had tried to make Bilbo happy.

Sometimes she wondered if her mother's plan worked or not.

* * *

Anxiety shot through Bilbo, and she needed some way to get it out. Being awake, tired, and afraid while out in the wilderness was not a good thing, even when you had a whole group of dwarves to keep you and your daughter safe.

It was the nightmare, the same nightmare that been in her dreams for all those years. That dream that didn't make any sense.

Her mother was in it, Belladonna, and she was holding a sword. She was running from something, but Bilbo never could find what. Along the way she crossed some orcs (which her mother had), and she had to cut them up. The cuts were sloppy, and blood spilled everywhere. Somehow her mother never got her feet dirty and never tripped. That was good, because the longer the dream went, the more Bilbo could sense the growing fear of what was behind her.

She always knew it was her mother even when she never saw the face of the running hobbit. The hobbit wore the clothes of a man and had a long braid tied behind their back. However, that night she finally saw the face of the person who for years had haunted her dream. She had never believed the other hobbits when they'd said they looked so alike. It was funny how she'd never noticed it before, but she'd never looked close enough. Yes, she and her mother looked alike, but her mother had been taller than Bilbo and her hair was darker. She never had liked to recollect over her nightmares. Many of them hurt too much.

Perhaps she'd missed a lot of other details, but she shook the thought away. It didn't matter. She wouldn't know until she finally slept again.

She felt two strong arms pull her closer. She remembered that she had agreed to sleep next to Thorin that night.

She wanted to feel comfort, but she couldn't. All she knew was that she needed to get back to sleep. Her fear from the nightmare drained away and was replaced by the dread of facing another long day of travelling. It would be another long day of sitting on Myrtle, and ponies were far from the best places to sleep on, especially when you had a hobbitling on with you.

The next day, a few commented on the bags under her eyes. She was able to wave them off, but she still got many concerned looks. Thorin even seemed like she was going to make a comment on them, but thankfully didn't and instead made small talk about the supplies. Another camp was set up, and things were looking fine.

Somehow none of the dwarves, the ones who had sworn on Mahal himself to never let harm come to the new queen and princess (if they could truly be called that), noticed Frodo wonder away. There were grass and trees all around them in all directions, and no one could agree on where they'd last seen the dark haired hobbitling.


	4. Chapter 4

Bilbo couldn't breathe. There was air all around her, but none of it could enter her lungs. She was hot, so hot, and with shaking hands ripped off her waistcoat. Where was Frodo? Had something eaten her? Had leaving Bag End, warm and safe Bag End, gotten her little Frodo killed?

No, no, she must have been out looking for bugs. Yes, that was all that she was doing! They would find her covered in dirt, a bunch of dead crickets in her hands. Oh, and she'd be messy, but Bilbo wouldn't care. It wasn't as though she'd gotten a bath recently.

Bilbo clutched her waistcoat in her hands, and looked in all directions. She had to be somewhere. Where could her little legs take her that was so far from here? All the dwarves could go in a certain direction. It wouldn't be hard to find her.

"Bilbo," Thorin said. She placed two hands on her shaking shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that she's found."

"Not worry?" Bilbo screamed. Only then did she notice the tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. "My little Frodo could die!"

She looked around. "Everyone, in a different direction! We are not losing Frodo!"

"Bilbo-" Thorin spoke.

"Get going!"

The dwarves all moved away, even Thorin.

"Please look after the ponies," was all she said.

Bilbo wanted to retort, but she couldn't, not now, not with her little Frodo gone. If this was the cost of getting her back then fine. She looked over at them, and they stood in silence. A few were eating grass.

A pain formed in Bilbo's belly. What if something happened to Frodo? Would Thorin allow them to go back to the Shire? Or would she continue demanding that she go on this silly quest? And to think that she had promised such wonderful dwarves!

If Frodo got hurt, Bilbo wouldn't know what to think of herself for letting that happen. Her Frodo, her sweet and precious Frodo whom she had raised since she was a baby, which wasn't that far back, after her parents died. Drogo and Primula had been one of the few cousins that she was actually close with. Hobbits could boast about having large families, but that didn't mean that they always had close family ties. When they'd died, she'd been devastated. She couldn't claim to have many friends.

Frodo had been so tiny, young enough to forget her parents. In fact, she had. She'd sworn to take care of her like Primula and Drogo had. It was her way of thanking them for supporting her for all those years.

And now she might get their little girl killed. Why did she think that doing this would get Frodo a better life? They weren't just going to suddenly be in Erebor.

She was so busy crying that she almost didn't notice the hand on her arm. She looked down and saw Frodo, who was staring up at her innocently with her wide blue eyes. She had a collection of small sticks in her arms.

"Mommy, why are you sad? I brought sticks for the fire."

Bilbo began to cry again, and quickly pulled Frodo into her arms. She was back! The sticks fell on the ground, and Bilbo could care less.

* * *

"Oh Bilbo," Dori said later after dinner, "I know exactly how you feel. If something happened to Ori there then I don't know what I'd do."

"I've battled orcs!" Ori yelled. "I've even slain a few."

"So?" Dori asked. "That doesn't mean that another can't kill you."

Ori grumbled something that Bilbo couldn't hear and then went back to knitting.

Her eyes wandered over to the fire, where Thorin was sitting with Frodo in her lap. She held some of her stuffed toys in her hands, and looked ready to fall asleep at any moment. Earlier, she had proudly thrown her sticks into the fire.

It felt silly, looking back. But the terror, the pure terror of not knowing where Frodo was when they were on such an adventure terrified Bilbo. The fact that she could easily get away from them bothered Bilbo as well.

If something happened to her…

Bilbo sighed. "So was this much like the quest to reclaim Erebor?"

"Yes and no," Ori said.

"What do you mean no?" Dori asked.

"Well no one went looking for firewood and nearly got lost."

Bilbo didn't laugh at the joke.

"I'm so sorry," Ori said. They turned red and quickly dove their head into the scarf that they were working on.

Bilbo wanted to say something, but couldn't. She just pulled her knees up to her and kept her face as blank as she possibly could. There was no use worrying now. That had just been an incident, a tiny little one. Thorin swore up and down and on her grandfather's grave that things would be okay and back to normal in no time.

The night air was cool, but still filled with tension. As much as Bilbo wanted to let go and relax, she also couldn't allow herself to forget what this journey actually meant.

She bit her lip. She could see Thorin and Frodo by the fire. Frodo had fallen asleep, wrapped in Thorin's arms like Frodo's stuffed toys were in her own. There was a slight smile on Thorin's face, and she was running a hand through Frodo's long, dark locks.

Bilbo got up and walked over. Thorin wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her face in Bilbo's neck when she sat down. Bilbo went red and could feel the eyes of the company, and their grins, on them.

"Hello, Bilbo," she said. She smiled, and it seemed genuine. She only hoped that hers could look the same.

"Thorin, I have a question." It had been eating away at her for a while, but it was time to get it out when she had the chance. She didn't even care if she had an audience.

"What?"

Bilbo sighed. "If you're a king (saying that still felt strange, but her wife had a chest of gold now so what was really so strange about her being a king?), then why don't you have a whole army with you?"

"Do you not trust me?" Her eyes bore into Bilbo, and she stopped running her hand through Frodo's hair.

Bilbo didn't answer. "I'm just curious. You say that you have all this wealth, and yet the only dwarves I see with you are eleven others."

Thorin looked around at them. More than a few had tuned into the conversation. "Well," she said, "I did it because I can't always trust my soldiers, at least certain ones. Not all of them may necessarily be good dwarves. I wish I could say otherwise, but that's just the way it is. I trust this group with my life, and they've proven that they will stay beside me before. They understand the seriousness of this to me, and we promise again to make sure nothing else unexpected happens."

There were a few murmurs of agreement. Bilbo just looked at Frodo, busy sleeping in Thorin's lap, head leaned against her chest, and decided that she could handle this. But if something else happened, she might not be so lenient. She had to keep Frodo's well being in mind.

* * *

Bilbo had started working with Thorin at the forge. She didn't make anything, but she helped make sure that everything got back to the correct hobbit and that Thorin got her lunch on time. Thorin was certainly thankful.

The day was over, and Thorin was back out. Sweat covered most of her, her hair was coming loose, and she seemed tired, but Bilbo felt a stir of attraction in her. Thorin's eyes wandered to her and she smirked.

"You waited for me again?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

She smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

Bilbo was backed up against the wall. Thorin's hands were at her side and scrunching up her top. One hand went to her waist and the other onto her ass. Her lips went to her neck, and she trailed downward.

This was certainly not what a respectable Baggins did. But who cared? It was the middle of the day; everyone thought that both were working. No one would ever know.

Thorin smiled into her skin. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," Bilbo replied. She was sweating, not only because of the forge's heat but because of the body next to hers.

Thorin's hands left her side. One settled to in her hair, Thorin entangling her finger in Bilbo's curls, and the other went to her chin, pulling her face up. Thorin's lips met hers. Bilbo's mouth was open slightly, and Thorin took that to her advantage. Her hand continued to explore Bilbo's body, stroking her hair and then rubbing her back, all while their tongues explored the other's mouth.

When it finished, for a moment they stood entangled in each other. Thorin had a hand on Bilbo's shoulder, and she was shooting Bilbo a look that she couldn't quite decipher. Suddenly, she had Thorin's lips on hers again. She could certainly keep doing this.

One of Thorin's hands ended up on her hip, and she rubbed circles into it with her thumb. Another held her neck up as her lips returned there another time. She was quick and careful when she took a bite.

"Is this alright?" she asked.

"Yes," Bilbo said. "My mother will just be surprised that we hadn't done this yet."

Thorin only bit three more times. She always did it in areas where it was less noticeable, and she was careful.

Bilbo was surprised when she motioned for Bilbo to do it herself, but she would. She'd never done this before. Other hobbits had done it (though they likely hadn't been as courteous as Thorin), and it was still expected for someone her age. With a quick inhale and exhale of breath, she bit into Thorin's neck with her two front teeth.

"Am I too hard?" Bilbo asked when it finished.

"No," Thorin said. Her hand left her hip and entered her hair again. Bilbo's heart beat against her chest as Thorin leaned down, one hand on Bilbo's leg. It continued upwards until she had her hand on Bilbo's underwear. Her lips were still on Bilbo's.

"Stop," Bilbo said, breaking the kiss. "I don't want to go that far, not yet, not until we're married."

Thorin's hand immediately broke away. "I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you," Bilbo said.

"I'm guessing we should stop," Thorin said. "I still have some work to do."

Bilbo sighed.

Thorin gave Bilbo one last kiss. "Thank you."

Bilbo turned red. "Oh, you're welcome. Really, it was-"

Thorin smirked. She wrapped an arm around Bilbo and pulled her in again. Their lips met.

Once it ended, Bilbo gave a soft chuckle. "I thought it was over."

"It's wanted a little more"

However, they did end it. Bilbo realized how much soot got on her dress and she began to wonder just how long it would take to clean it. Thorin continued to smirk as she got everything back in order.

"It'll probably take me hours to get my hair clean again!" Bilbo said.

Thorin just chuckled. "Don't you have some deliveries to get to? If anyone asks, just say that you came into see me and check on something a customer ordered."

"Alright," Bilbo said.

Thorin gave her one last smile before she left.

* * *

Bilbo pushed against Thorin's chest. Instantly, the kiss broke.

"Stop," Bilbo said, "not now."

Thorin frowned, but removed herself from Bilbo. She leaned back into her bedroll, and Bilbo did the same.

Bilbo's eyes wandered back to the company. Everyone, including Frodo, was asleep (other than Bofur on watch).

* * *

Bilbo always kept an eye on Frodo. She didn't mean to worry so much, but if she lost her again… Bilbo shook her head. It wasn't worth worrying about those things right then.

Thorin had been cautious around her ever since the night before. If she was hurt by what Bilbo did then she didn't show it. Bilbo didn't really care if she was hurt; once she thought about it, it felt wrong to do that with Thorin, at least for now. Maybe later…

Maybe.

Bilbo sighed.

"Look, Mommy, I got a new butterfly." Frodo held up a large butterfly, this one orange with blue spots.

Bilbo smiled. "How did you catch that?"

"I didn't. Nori gave it to me."

"They did?"

"Yes." Frodo beamed.

"And did you tell them thank you?"

"Yes," Frodo said.

Later on, Bilbo and went and found Nori. They weren't hard to find. Bilbo had seen them with Ori and Dori before. There was always a suspicious smile on their face, and their hair was held up like a star.

"Hello queen," they said. Despite their joking tone, she stood tall and serious. It felt strange to command such power without meaning to. "Do you need anything?" They reached for their side, where a large knife was held.

"No," she said.

Their hand did not leave the knife.

"I just wanted to thank you for getting Frodo that butterfly earlier."

"Oh, it was nothing. I just saw it flying around and wanted to see how it'd look crushed in a child's hand." They chuckled.

Bilbo rolled her eyes. "Really, thank you."

They nodded. "And if you ever need anything from me, I will always be able to get someone for you. Did you ever have problems with a certain person? Or did any of your items get stolen?"

"I love the offer, but I'm fine." She smiled.

* * *

Bilbo Baggins woke up with an abrupt start. Frodo was on her chest, and she was holding out mud. A large grin was spread across her face. "Look, Mommy! I found some worms like from the story Fili and Kili told me!"

Thorin was awake as well. "What story?"

Frodo looked over at her and held out the mud to her. Thorin raised an eyebrow, but looked at it. Bilbo hoped that the mud wouldn't stain their sleeping mats.

"Last night they told me about Smaug the dragon, the fire worm! Do you think that these worms can breathe fire?"

"I hope not," Bilbo grumbled. It was about time to wake up, the sun was out, but she would've preferred being woken up in a more peaceful manner. Her mind was still foggy, and she rubbed sleep out of her eyes.

Thorin chuckled. "It's a wyrm, Frodo. Smaug was more of a glorified lizard."

* * *

"Frodo, get down from there!" Bilbo yelled.

Thorin chuckled. "She's fine, Bilbo. Ori, Fili, and Kili are there with her."

"Oh, I am so reassured."

Thorin rolled her eyes.

Frodo was on the largest stone troll. She ran her tiny hands over it, blue eyes wide. According to Thorin, she and her groups had nearly been eaten by trolls before they were saved by Gandalf. The name gave Bilbo a sense of deja vu, though she couldn't place the name with anyone she knew.

She didn't know why her wife just didn't say that she had parasites. The trolls would probably be dumb enough to believe them. If not, mentioning spices and skinning would have worked as well. Surely even the trolls would want to eat a good meal!

Bilbo just shook her head. "Fine, she can climb on the trolls." She pulled a small book out of her pocket and went and sat down by a tree. Camp had already been made and everyone was waiting for dinner to be made. Though Bilbo and Frodo got more food than the rest of the company because they were hobbits, she was still constantly hungry. Frodo never mentioned being hungry, but just in case she snuck most of her food over to her when it wasn't breakfast, lunch, or dinner. To think that dwarves ate only one of each! Thorin had also stopped eating seven meals a day.

A dwarf sat down next to her. She looked over at them and was surprised to see that they weren't Thorin.

"Bofur," Bilbo said politely. She stuck a bookmark in her book and quickly shut it. "Hello."

"Hello," they replied. They pointed at the mattock in their left hand. "If you ever need me to use this on someone I'd be happy to."

She forced a smile. "Oh, thank you."

"And Bombur will gladly cook an orc into a pie for you."

She hoped they were joking.

"Or Fili and Kili if you need to."

Bilbo couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't go to that extreme."

Bofur smiled. "I was just making an offer." They stood up and wiped the dirt off of their clothing. "I promise that they're good kids."

"We'll see about that."

Frodo was still climbing on the trolls. She was making faces at the younger dwarves below.

"You can't cook those two," Bilbo said.

"Why?" Bofur raised an eyebrow.

"Because they have parasites," Bilbo said. "You all do."

Bofur gave her a confused look and Bilbo just chuckled. Then they looked afraid.

"I guess that means that Frodo and I do too."

They laughed. "Yes…"

Bilbo laughed again. She was keeping this little joke a secret for herself.

* * *

"You know," Bilbo said when they finished. "I have a hobbit hole. We don't have to keep doing this in the forge." She was covered in sweat and smelled awful. When she got home the first thing she would do was jump into the bath.

Thorin quickly brushed her lips over Bilbo's again. She smirked. "I'm impatient. I just want to have a little fun now instead of walking all the way to your home. Besides, your mother is home. What if she caught us?"

"She'd just laugh and close the door."

"True, but I want to do it now." She placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "Why do you make me wait?"

"So that I don't get dirty."

Thorin chuckled. "Then if you're really that picky about it then I'll drop by a little after work. We can eat first and then find a private spot. Would you like that?"

Bilbo's cheeks flamed. "Yes."


	5. Chapter 5

Bilbo hadn't been to Rivendell in years. Her heart soared when she learned that they were going to the city, but nothing compared to actually arriving there. Frodo was in her arms when they arrived, and she was just as excited as Bilbo. Luckily, she hadn't heard the horror stories from the dwarves earlier. Bilbo had made sure to set down some ground rules, such as to eat any green food given to you (they just needed to try some; it really wasn't that bad), to not break any of the elves' furniture, and to be polite to Elrond for allowing the company to stay there. A few dwarves grumbled in protest, but one glare from Bilbo caused them to nod their heads and swears to follow whatever she said.

Oh, and they weren't allowed to say the word "treeshagger". Not only was it rude, but it was not something that Frodo needed to be hearing!

Even Thorin had to follow these rules.

The city was beautiful. With its glorious mix of nature and stone work, it was truly a sight to behold. At first she could not move, only stare. She was snapped out of her awe by Fili and Kili offering to show Frodo the sights. Bilbo would not allow that. Whatever trouble they would (inevitably) cause would be nipped at the bud so long as Bilbo had the chance.

However, she couldn't spend all her time looking at the scenery. She had a whole week for that. A whole seven days! Bilbo was as giddy as a little hobbit lass who just got a new toy. Most important of all, she wanted to go see Elrond again. It had been far too long since they'd last seen each other.

Bilbo hoped that Elrond hadn't forgotten her. It was a silly fear considering she was Belladonna Took's daughter, but she couldn't help but be afraid of it. She had never thought she would ever return to Rivendell, at least not while she was raising Frodo. Suddenly becoming a parent had been more important than traveling to visit her mother's old friend, and with good reason. She'd considered doing so when Frodo was older, but now she didn't have to.

"Was it everything that you imagined?" Thorin asked.

"It's even better than I remember," she replied.

"You've been here before, Bilbo?"

"Funny how my mother never told you. She said just about everything but this." She patted Frodo on the head and grabbed her hand. The other went into Thorin's large one. "I really must show you around. I hope they haven't changed much; it may have been years since I came here, but I remember nearly everything. Thorin, this city is magic."

She nodded politely, though Bilbo guessed otherwise. She'd heard a few dwarves calling them "tolerable elves". Well, Bilbo was just going to have to teach them otherwise.

"Follow me," she said.

She began to show them the sight. A few elves stopped and stared, but they held no malicious intent. It wasn't everyday that they saw a hobbit pulling a dwarf and small hobbit around with them, giving them a personal tour of Rivendell.

"When I was a child, my mother brought me here. We stayed for nearly seven months." Almost nothing had changed. The city truly was glorious. Despite years passing, nothing had faded. "I wanted to have an adventure just like her, so she promised to take me with her. Travelling on the road was scary and I was unused to it, but this was worth it. It was also where she first showed me the basics of using a sword. At the time, I was only given a small knife, but I was quite good with it."

"I could only guess," Thorin commented. "I'll never forget our fights."

"And I won't let you," Bilbo said with a giggle. "You lost so much to me."

Thorin rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, the city enchanted me. It was just like out of my books." She looked down at a wide eyed Frodo. "Do you remember the stories that I told you about Rivendell before bed?"

Frodo nodded. "The elves and their pretty things!"

Bilbo nodded. "Yes. Well, I came here. I met Lord Elrond and his children. He had twin boys, quite mischievous for his sons. We had quite a bit of fun. He also had a daughter named Elrond, and she was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen."

Thorin frowned.

"Besides you, Thorin. Arwen had nothing on you."

Thorin smiled.

"We also went to the library. I spent many days in there reading whatever I could. They were the best books that I had ever read. Oh, Thorin, they were grand! They had the most wonderful illustrations and text. It was almost impossible to pry me from the library!" She laughed. She hadn't thought of this in a long time. It had been a very dear time for her. "I also got lots of little presents for my father. When I brought them back he admired them, even showed them off to his Baggins relatives. He didn't know what to do with half of them, but he kept them for years." She looked into Thorin's blue eyes, a smirk on her lips. "How about I get you something to remember this place by?"

Thorin's frown deepened.

"I'll take that as a yes." She continued pulling them along. "It was the most fun I'd ever had in my life. There were so many new things. Lord Elrond even offered to let us live here. I immediately jumped up to say yes, but my mother declined. For some time I refused to speak to her. But, looking back, I'm glad that I came back to the Shire."

Thorin squeezed her hand.

Frodo continued to look around. Whenever she didn't recognize something she would ask what it was. Bilbo gave her every answer that she could.

Eventually, they reached Bilbo's favorite parts. She hadn't mentioned this earlier to leave in a bit of surprise. The truth was, she had spent more time reading in here than inside the library, even as great as it truly was..

"And this is the gardens," Bilbo said. "Frodo, these will make what we had back at Bag End look like nothing."

"Will there be bugs?"

"Oh, yes. But please don't take them unless Lord Elrond gives you permission. This is his land."

Thorin whispered (a bit too loudly) to Frodo. "I'll get you a bug."

Bilbo cleared her throat.

"I promise I won't take any of Elrond's bugs," Thorin said.

"I won't either, Mama."

Bilbo smiled. "Good."

The gardens truly were impressive. Though hobbits were the children of Yavanna, the elves came at a close second. This was, at least to Bilbo, as fine as any dwarf craftsmanship. The trees and flowers seemed to flow effortlessly. There was not a single mark of imperfection. Butterflies of all colors flew freely through the air. Frodo played with them, but was careful not to kill them. Thorin even tried to be light on her feet.

Bilbo leaned down and smelled a variety of flowers. They were well watered, and Bilbo wanted to know just what was used to fertilize these plants. She wanted some of that for herself. Really, more hobbits needed to leave the Shire. They'd find that this was worth the travel.

"May I pick a flower, Mommy?" Frodo sniffed the flowers herself.

"You are more than welcome to," a voice said.

Bilbo looked up. Elves truly didn't age.

"Bilbo Baggins," Elrond said, "what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know that I would find you here."

Bilbo stood up, wiping dirt from her trousers. "Elrond! I'm so glad that you remembered me." Her earlier fears dissolved.

"How could I forget?" He smiled. "I admit, I didn't expect you to be with the company of Thorin Oakenshield."

From the corner of her eye, Thorin frowned.

"We know each other," Bilbo said.

"Oh, really?" He raised an eyebrow. "I've heard rumors from a few dwarves that you know Thorin Oakenshield quite well."

An arm went around her waist and she was quickly pulled to where she was directly touching Thorin. Frodo was scooped into her arms. "Yes," Thorin said plainly, "we are." The amazing thing about Thorin was that no matter how deeply she frowned, she could always do it more.

"Ah," he said. He smiled at Bilbo. "I would expect nothing less from the daughter of Belladonna Took." He looked to Thorin. "I have heard of the success of your quest. I must congratulate you."

Thorin nodded. "Did you get the gold that we sent?"

"It was received," he replied. "I didn't expect to see you so soon." Finally, his eyes fell on Frodo. The little girl had stared up curiously at him but had remained silent. "And who is this? Is she yours, Thorin?"

"Of course she is," Thorin said. "Her name is Frodo."

He leaned down and leaned out a hand to her. "Hello, Frodo, I am Elrond."

The little girl grabbed his hand and tried to shake it. The elf lord chuckled. "My Mommy told me stories about you!"

"Oh, she did? What did she say?"

"Mommy said you were nice! She also said you had pretty things! Amad just said that you tried to feed her friends green food."

Bilbo forced back a sigh. She would certainly be having a discussion with Thorin about that later. Even though she knew it would be hard, she didn't want her daughter to become too influenced by dwarves. She did not want Frodo to hate elves or to skip baths.

"Would you still like a flower, Frodo?"

"Yes!"

Elrond reached down and looked through the flowers. Finally, he pulled out a simple daisy and gave it to Frodo, who looked as though she was given the most rare species of flower in all of Middle Earth.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, young one." His attention again returned to Bilbo. "You know that rooms are available for you and your wife, correct?"

"I know of your hospitality first hand, and Thorin does too. I have just one question, which is where will Frod sleep?"

"I'll have a private room prepared just for her."

"Good." Bilbo didn't want her sharing a room with Fili and Kili. They would probably end up breaking everything inside and half of the city, making the destruction of one chair look like nothing.

"Dinner is soon," he said. "I am sure that you are hungry."

"Yes!" Frodo said.

Bilbo gave a polite nod; there was no chance that her enthusiasm could compare to that of Frodo's. "Give her something green, please."

"Our speciality," he replied. "I'll make sure that her plate is full. Is there anything that you'd prefer?"

"I'll take the same."

Lord Elrond left, giving his blessing to take some flowers. He even let Frodo take one butterfly, so long as she promised to treat it carefully. Bilbo wasn't sure if that was possible, but Elrond was known to be quite persuasive.

Thorin still kept one arm on Bilbo as they watched Frodo pick flowers.

"Could you be any more jealous? Do you really want Frodo's attention always aimed at you and your 'majestic' beard?"

Thorin scoffed. "You're being overdramatic."

"Don't worry, I'm sure that she's more interested in the flowers more than anything."

* * *

Bilbo got her greens that night, and Frodo did as well. Other than Bifur, no one else was eating. Eventually, the elves brought out some bread and the dwarves fought over it. Frodo laughed, but kept eating the food that she was offered.

Even Thorin had tried some, but had ultimately refused it because she didn't enjoy the taste. Bilbo had let her. It wasn't an issue that she wanted to discuss.

She'd offered a few dwarves tours of Rivendell, and a few had gone with her. They hadn't been as interested as she was, but they were nice enough and at least tried not to stomp their boots too hard. Frodo had found some elves to play with.

Really, she couldn't ask for anything more.

Well, she could. That bread looked delicious.

* * *

Bilbo hadn't seen Elrond's library in years. She'd been taken their personally herself, and she'd brought Frodo along. Thorin had some other business to get to, and Bilbo was glad to have her gone for a little while. She didn't want a repeat of the garden incident.

It was even better than she remembered. White walls, smooth stone floors, paintings hung elegantly, and books, so many books filled every shelf. They were even categorized in alphabetical order! How could she have ever forgotten that?

Frodo seemed just as awe struck. She ran up to the nearest shelf and began to check over the books.

Bilbo chuckled. "Now Frodo, I don't think you'd like those books." At least not unless her daughter had suddenly developed an interest in trade records. "What do you want to read?"

"A story," Frodo said.

"What kind?"

"One with a dragon!"

Bilbo just waved her over to her side. "I'm sure that Elrond has a few." They walked around. Bilbo drank in the sight. Memories unfolded in front of her, to hours spent devouring word after word. She never left one single book unfinished, knowing that she might never come back. It was certainly a good thing; Bilbo didn't want to find an ancient bookmark with her name written on it.

Frodo stopped every once in a while to look at whatever caught her fancy. She found a few and carried them over her chest.

"Would you like some help?"

"No thank you, Mommy."

No one else was inside except for them. The silence was calm and reassuring. Some remembered sounds. Bilbo remembered silence, peaceful, joyous silence. She'd even been careful to not make a sound while flipping pages.

"Want to hear a story?" Bilbo asked.

"Is there a dragon in it?"

"No, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good story." She stopped talking, the silence returning. It wasn't as though someone would scold her for speaking, and both were keeping their voices low. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes."

"Once there was a girl. She had long, dark hair just like you, but she had brown eyes instead of blue. Many called her a beauty, though she wasn't one to listen. Some were rude to her and some adored her, and she usually didn't care which. She had lots of siblings, some of whom she got along with better than others. One day, she went on an adventure."

"Like us?"

"A little, but not completely. She didn't have any partners. She just packed her bags and left, going off into the world all by herself with a sword she'd bought at her side. She was afraid, but she didn't let that stop her."

"Where did she go?"

"Anywhere her feet took her." That's what her mother had told her. "There was so much to see that she never bothered to make a path. There were lots of places she wanted to go, but she didn't let those ideas stop her. If she'd kept a path then she likely would have missed on the great things ahead of her. That's one of the reasons that this is so different from our adventure."

"Does she ever slay orcs?"

"Oh, yes," Bilbo said. "She also meets others, lots of them." This is an easier topic to discuss. "Elves, men, dwarves, and she said she even saw a hobbit once. She fought and bought and saw everything that she wanted to see. She went back home and then took a few more adventures just because she wasn't fully satisfied."

"Did she ever find treasure?"

"She didn't have much interest in it, but she did bring a little back. Just a few gold coins, only twenty or so." Bilbo's eyes swept over some books on a nearby shelf. There were a few that she still recognized. She pulled them out and began to flip though them. "While she was on those adventures she met Lord Elrond."

"Did Lord Elrond let her see her garden?"

"She got a personal tour from the Lord himself of the entire city."

A sound suddenly ripped through the library. Bilbo must have nearly jumped two feet in the air. Bilbo turned around, but Frodo was just as surprised as her.

"I apologize," came a voice. It was loud, but Bilbo could tell it was Ori, who meant no harm. They quickly walked up to them, their boot steps loud on the floor. "Lord Elrond showed me the way here. I had heard he had a collection, but never got to see it for myself when I first came here." They smiled. "It's beautiful."

That was the same word that Bilbo would use to classify it.

Frodo ran over to Ori. "What are you looking for?"

Ori smiled. "Nothing really. Do you have any suggestions?"

Frodo held her books up. Ori took them one at a time, looking over them.

"These look interesting," she said. "I remember Dori reading some of these to me when I was little."

"Can you help me find a book?"

They raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Mommy just told me a story and I want to read all about it."

Bilbo laughed. "Frodo, that hasn't been put in any books, or at least not any that I know of."

Frodo frowned.

"I'll help you look for some," Ori offered. "I have some idea of ones that you'll like, and Elrond surely has a copy of a few of them."

"You two go on," she said. "I'll be looking for a little while longer."

She continued to browse the shelves, listening to the two as they walked around. They certainly made noise, and Bilbo didn't care any longer. They'd be out soon.

"Yes," she whispered, and then pulled the book out. "It's still here."

To think, none of the elves had found its hiding place in years. Bilbo pulled it out as gently as she possibly could, trying not to disturb the other books. It was like a dream, a wonderful, amazing, dream.

She opened the cover, listening to the spine crack.

"Make sure that Frodo gets to her room," Bilbo said before she left, the book held at her side. "It's next to mine and Thorin's room. And please don't keep her up all night."

"I promise, Your Highness."

Bilbo forced back a snort. "And don't break your backs carrying too many books either. These books aren't going to fly off of the shelves and vanish forever."


	6. Chapter 6

Bilbo threw off her clothes and hastily threw on a far too large nightgown that she'd borrowed from one of the elves. She had to hold nearly all of the skirt up to keep herself from tripping on her own two feet. She walked over to bed and sat down on the edge.

"Is something bothering you?" Thorin asked. "Did something happen in the library?"

'No, I'm just thinking."

The bed creaked with the shift of Thorin's movements. A hand rested on her back. "Are you sure that nothing's wrong?"

"I'm sure."

"Is this about me?"

Before Bilbo could answer, she was pulled back into a tight embrace. Thorin had her arms around her and one hand on her leg. It would have a different meaning if Bilbo's skin wasn't separated by a bit too much elven cloth.

"I've missed you," Thorin whispered.

"I wish that you'd sent letters," Bilbo replied. She didn't know where the words came from, but once they were out she couldn't take them back.

They slept on opposite sides of the bed that night.

* * *

Bilbo was beginning to like the look of Thorin dirty. Anyone else was disgusting, but she could tolerate Thorin. Well, if she was too dirty then there was no hope for her. But slowly she was beginning to tolerate it.

Her hands rested on her hips and Thorin had Bilbo held in a tight kiss. One hand roamed up her back, and then through her fingers where a small, simple gold band sat. Belladonna had gotten some gold on one of her adventures and that been kind enough to let Thorin use it. Thorin had made a matching one for herself, but she didn't wear it while working.

In exactly one month they were set to be married. Thorin had chosen the date. It was going to be a simple affair, and very few were invited. Belladonna had done most of the planning, however. She was a clever woman, and she was going to gain control of it in one or the other anyway.

Bilbo had never imagined this actually happening to her. Even before she'd met Thorin, she hadn't had an interest in anyone. There had been a few romps in the hay, but nothing serious. She was sure she would've ended up as just another odd Took (perhaps the oddest of them all), the old spinster who inherited Bag End and kept it all for herself.

She wouldn't mind the sound of another pair of feet, even small, dwarfish ones, in her home.

Well, no matter what she was odd. The entire Shire knew it, though the whispers were never spoken. Both partners had training with swords, and dwarves were not as reserved about fighting as hobbits were.

* * *

The next day, Bilbo got her apology. There were flowers, red roses of all things. They did not mean forgiveness, but she could forgive Thorin. The language of flowers was something she doubted that Thorin would ever learn.

She also got breakfast delivered to her in bed, a whole collection of books selected for her from Elrond's library (all of which were relative to her interests), and got Ori to look after Frodo for her. In return, Bilbo forced a thank you and a smile from her lips.

* * *

The day arrived far too soon. Bilbo woke up to her mother yelling that she was married. Really, couldn't Bilbo be allowed some sleep?

It was a tedious process. Thorin had tried to incorporate some dwarven themes to their wedding, which included Bilbo's wedding dress having multiple layers to it. It took Belladonna two hours to get it all on Bilbo and to make her hair look presentable, which was destroyed by Thorin, who kissed the top of her head.

"It took hours to make that look right!" Bilbo said.

Thorin rolled her eyes. "What does it matter for?"

"I must look presentable."

Thorin laughed. "You look just fine."

Belladonna cleared her throat. "I'm so glad that you two are spending some time together, but could you two do it afterwards?" She just about pushed them out of the door of Bag End.

The field surrounding Bag End was used for the wedding. The grass was green, flowers held strong, and the air was a perfect temperature (though Bilbo did sweat under her many layers). Tents were set up to shelter food and to offer some shade that the trees couldn't. Only a few chairs were set out, but more and more were being brought out as the day passed. Apparently some wanted to see the wedding.

"What a wonderful day," Lobelia said to Bilbo when she came over to her. She had her umbrella in one hand. "I promise that if anyone complains that they'll get a good whack with this."

"Thank you, Lobelia."

"I expect the very same thing when Otho and I get married! But you do have a sword…" She smiled. "Yes, I think a sword would be much better at mine." Really, if Bilbo had given her a sword, she was sure that she could have easily beaten Thorin once she got the feel of holding one.

The wedding procession began with music, some Took boys and girls with a skill for music. Some played wooden flutes and others small drums, and one little girl already had a stunning voice. Even a few of the more sour faced wedding guests clapped when it finished.

Bilbo went to the center, flowers clutched in her hands. Thorin walked up to her and took them from her, dropping them haphazardly on the ground. They'd removed their rings earlier and had given them to Belladonna, who walked down the center of the aisle holding both of them. The little Took girl with the wonderful voice from earlier followed her. She flew flower petals in the air, and fired a few at some of the ones who were clearly there just to see it. Lobelia followed behind her with her umbrella clutched at her side. Most looked at her in fear. Bilbo couldn't help but smile when Otho gave her a look of awe.

Thankfully, they were positioned to where no one could notice Thorin running her hand down Bilbo's back and then laying her hand on her ass. Still, she would have something to say about that later.

Belladonna came forward and held out the rings to both of them. Thorin put one on Bilbo's finger, and Bilbo did the same for her.

Right then they should have kissed. However, Thorin instead spoke words in the secret dwarf language. The tone of her voice was rough, but she'd told Bilbo earlier what the words actually meant. They had to do with promises to remain with them forever, to always be faithful, and that her love for Bilbo was true. It scared off more than a few hobbits though, and Bilbo really didn't mind. Afterwards, she did the same, mispronouncing and missing most of the words. Thorin looked on the verge of laughing through the entire thing, and she nearly got Lobelia to come over.

"Now," Belladonna said. "Do you, Thorin, swear to never give any harm to my dear daughter?"

"I do," Thorin said.

"Do you swear?" Lobelia added.

"I swear to my god Aule."

"Swear to his wife," Lobelia said. "We worship the Green Lady."

"I swear on the Green Lady and Her husband."

"Then you face the wrath of two gods," Belladonna said. She would never know that Thorin would never actually face this, but it didn't matter. It was customary. Dwarves and hobbits both took marriage just as seriously.

However, once they kissed, the serious nature faded away. Hobbits stood up and cheered, and she got more than a few congratulations later on. She was known for being odd, but even she was not used to this level of attention. Little children examined her dress and all the dwarvish runes that Belladonna had sewed into it. Others hopped up on Thorin and played with her hair. A few of her friends had Bilbo throw a bouquet, and whoever caught it was apparently supposed to be the next to be married. It was some tradition that they'd heard from passing by Rangers. Lobelia and Bell Goodchild fought for who caught it first, and somehow Bell was able to get it first. Lobelia's mood dropped.

There was more than enough food, even by hobbit standards. Bilbo freely stuffed her face with whatever she pleased. First, she started with cake, covered in pure white, fluffy icing. Next, she went for various dishes that had been brought in. A few of her Baggins relatives had brought food, and they had some of the best recipes in the Shire. It was a good thing that even when most left they'd never thought of taking their food with them.

Thorin ate beside her, though she didn't eat nearly as much as Bilbo did. If it bothered her that Bilbo was getting food all over her dress, she didn't show it. By then her hair was all over the place, and she didn't care. Still, she had food on the corner of her lips, and her fingers were covered in sugar and sauce. By the end of the night, even she had food all over her dwarven clothes.

Then the fun started. Food was wonderful, but hobbit parties were made for dancing as much as they were feasting. Bilbo pulled Thorin out into the field and they began to dance together. A few hobbitlings followed after them. It was hard to dance in some of her layers and Thorin had two left feet, but no one seemed to mind their clumsy dancing. Some were already too drunk to be graceful. After a few rounds, they went on get some alcohol for themselves.

Hobbits were simple creatures, and though they cared about respectability, parties were where they were allowed to let loose. It was socially acceptable there. For once, Bilbo and Thorin blended right in. Children ran around and played. Adults danced a little too close to each other. Lobelia and Otho tripped over their own two feet even more than Bilbo and Thorin did, and they laughed about it.

If Bungo were there he would be both simultaneously horrified at just how much like her mother Bilbo was and crying out of joy.

And Bilbo would have given anything for that to last forever.

Hours later, once it had ended, Bilbo and Thorin stumbled into Bag End. They hadn't drank nearly enough as the other guests, but they were slightly tired. However, Thorin was a bit too excited. She finally took the layers of Bilbo's dress off. Then, she went down and made Bilbo wearing that hot, slightly itchy thing all day worth it.

* * *

When Bilbo woke up the morning after her wedding, she was completely naked except for a blanket, and was sleeping on her wife's chest. Well, that was certainly a way to start the morning. She closed her eyes a little longer before she finally woke up. Her movement stirred Thorin awake.

"Good morning, Bilbo." She smiled.

"And a good morning to you, Thorin. Are you going to wake up?"

"No." She reached out a hand to Bilbo. "Won't you come and lay down with me a little longer?"

For a moment Bilbo considered refusing, but she did so anyway. Her wife was warm, and she was still a little tired. There were more important things in the world than missing second breakfast. However, Bilbo didn't get any sleep. Thorin finished off what she'd started the night before, and now that she'd rested she had the energy to slow down and enjoy what chances she had. She took her sweet time.

Afterwards, they ate a large elvensies to make up for the two meals that they'd missed earlier.

* * *

Frodo stared down at the needles in her hands. It was as if the child expected that her intense gaze would just make the sticks move.

"Frodo," Ori said. The child turned back up to her, blue eyes wide. "Just follow along with me. You'll get this in no time." She began to knit as slow as she could, watching Frodo clumsily follow along after her. Those were the smallest sticks that she could find, and still they were too big for her.

Well, that's a problem, Ori thought. "How about I get Bofur to make you some knitting needles of your own?"

Frodo grinned. "Really?"

"Really." She continued to work on her scarf. "Soon you'll be making as much as me."

Frodo picked up the sticks and tried to continue. She wasn't doing any better, but Ori encouraged her anyway. This would at least be practice.

"What are you going to make first?" Ori asked.

Frodo frowned. "I don't know."

"That's perfectly fine. I think you should try making a tea cozy for your mother. Or maybe a scarf. You'll never know when you'll need one." It had been Ori's idea to do this. Frodo had finally lost interest in Elrond's library for the day and had wanted something to do. They'd gone down to Lord Elrond's library for a while and caught bugs, and then Frodo had gotten tired of that. Ori had searched her mind for something to do and come up short.

When Frodo had suggested going to see Fili and Kili, the idea had come out. The girl had instantly lost interest in the queen's nieces and had decided to come with Ori. Now, they were in her room.

"Watch me for a while," Ori said. "It'll give you a chance to see the movements. I'm sure it looks hard, but it's easy once you get used to it."

Frodo did so, asking questions once in awhile, but other than that remained quiet. Ori wished that she'd had this kind of audience in Ered Lindon. When she'd tried to teach the younger children how to knit they'd either mocked her or ignored her. No, it wasn't sword fighting, but it made wonderful items, and it did involve needles. It was better to know how to use them; there was always a chance that they could come in use. However, Ori doubted that Bilbo would appreciate telling her daughter about how she'd stabbed out an orc's eye just yet. Maybe when she was a bit older, maybe.

Well, that time would come.

"You're doing great!" Ori said. The needles were too big for her but she kept trying.

Frodo beamed.

"I'm sure you'll make a great scarf."

* * *

Thorin sat in silence on the balcony, looking out at the elven city below. Everything was wrong. Yes, Lord Elrond was a good man, but he was still an elf. Thorin was above ground, surrounded by elves, and her wife was refusing to speak to her. What did she want letters for? To hear for years of Thorin's failure?

She could see Frodo down on the streets below, Ori following her. She couldn't help but smile. At least that was going right.

But…

But she had left Bilbo to raise the child alone. Children were important. If Thorin had at least kept letters with her then maybe she could have come earlier, or at least sent some sort of support.

She shook her head. Why bother worrying? Either way, she had Erebor back and could finally provide what she couldn't before.


End file.
